How to Build a Lava Moat (with xkcd)

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  • čas přidán 29. 08. 2019
  • Where to Buy "How To" by Randall Munroe:
    · PRH.com: bit.ly/2L2G5hy
    · Amazon: bit.ly/2zfy974
    · Barnes and Noble: bit.ly/2Zozxmt
    · IndieBound: bit.ly/2ZfwSre
    · Books-A-Million: bit.ly/2ZfxD3y
    · Apple Books: bit.ly/33TK3kX
    The world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the #1 New York Times bestsellers What If? and Thing Explainer
    For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.
    Bestselling author and cartoonist Randall Munroe explains how to predict the weather by analyzing the pixels of your Facebook photos. He teaches you how to tell if you're a baby boomer or a 90's kid by measuring the radioactivity of your teeth. He offers tips for taking a selfie with a telescope, crossing a river by boiling it, and powering your house by destroying the fabric of space-time. And if you want to get rid of the book once you're done with it, he walks you through your options for proper disposal, including dissolving it in the ocean, converting it to a vapor, using tectonic plates to subduct it into the Earth's mantle, or launching it into the Sun.
    By exploring the most complicated ways to do simple tasks, Munroe doesn't just make things difficult for himself and his readers. As he did so brilliantly in What If?, Munroe invites us to explore the most absurd reaches of the possible. Full of clever infographics and amusing illustrations, How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day.
    REFERENCES
    How To (Randall Munroe) - see above for links!
    Rock melting points
    hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/...
    Syracuse University Researchers Make Lava Using Keweenawan Basalt
    lavaproject.syr.edu/making-lav...
    BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF WISCONSIN MAP: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EXTENSION Geological and Natural History Survey
    Electric Furnace
    www.amazon.com/Automatic-Elec...
    Large Geothermal Power Plants
    www.worldatlas.com/articles/l...
    www.calpine.com/operations/po...
    Coal Power Plant Capacity
    www.talenenergy.com/plant/col...
    The size of an A19 or A21 Lightbulb
    blog.1000bulbs.com/home/a21-v...
    Low melting point Vanadate glass
    iopscience.iop.org/article/10...
    Support MinutePhysics on Patreon! / minutephysics
    Link to Patreon Supporters: www.minutephysics.com/supporters/
    MinutePhysics is on twitter - @minutephysics
    And facebook - / minutephysics
    And Google+ (does anyone use this any more?) - bit.ly/qzEwc6
    Minute Physics provides an energetic and entertaining view of old and new problems in physics -- all in a minute!
    Created by Henry Reich
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 2,3K

  • @Awgolas
    @Awgolas Před 4 lety +3979

    Using a nuclear reactor to generate heat to generate electricity to generate heat seems very inefficent. Using a coolant loop from the reactor into the lava would definitely increase the efficiency significantly, and if you only use 1 loop, now you've got radioactive lava. Absolute win.

    • @lizardi1037
      @lizardi1037 Před rokem +727

      Ferb I know what we’re gonna do today

    • @shk439
      @shk439 Před rokem +332

      To be even more efficient, you can try using lava as a coolant

    • @shk439
      @shk439 Před rokem +221

      Well actually nuclear reactors operate at slightly lower temperatures than needed for a glowing lava pool

    • @sirocbit8041
      @sirocbit8041 Před rokem +12

      The reactor probably would explode

    • @johnnysun6495
      @johnnysun6495 Před rokem +23

      Or just use the rocks in the reactor and make RADIOACTIVE LAVA

  • @reubenfromow4854
    @reubenfromow4854 Před 4 lety +4558

    My wife: “why do you never help out with home planning?”
    Me:

    • @shadowwriter329
      @shadowwriter329 Před 4 lety +63

      Reuben Fromow I offered to dig a lava moat but you didn’t like that idea. You said it makes your hair fizzy. So I am stopping while I am ahead.

    • @ajaybyadgi2672
      @ajaybyadgi2672 Před 4 lety +1

      because that shit bor ing

    • @solisruben296
      @solisruben296 Před 3 lety +8

      An easy way to get the lava is to go to the nether and bring buckets of the stuff back, then use a shovel to dig a 5 block wide 3 block deep pit around your house, then fill it with lava. Just make sure you're not fully reliant on it since someone could just build over it.

    • @TinyDeskEngineer
      @TinyDeskEngineer Před 2 lety +2

      "Are you sure you _want_ me to help me with home planning?"

    • @onrch
      @onrch Před 6 měsíci

      ​@@solisruben296You can also use trapdoors to fool the human AI.

  • @mamuburaa
    @mamuburaa Před 4 lety +772

    The answer is obviously to build your base inside a volcano like any self-respecting super villain would.
    That way you get lava and a power source.

    • @justagamer878
      @justagamer878 Před 4 měsíci +4

      What if the volcano shuts down and hibernates?

    • @CarFreeSegnitz
      @CarFreeSegnitz Před 4 měsíci +16

      ⁠@@justagamer878 Super villains should chose Stromboli, a volcanic island just north of Sicily. It’s been erupting continuously for over 2000 years.
      For a bit more control I’d locate in Iceland and tap magma chambers there. Or some place warmer like Hawaii, Mount Kilauea. But then wherever you manage a lava moat will be uncomfortably warm (hot).

    • @Statsy10
      @Statsy10 Před 3 měsíci +10

      And constantly having to fend off intrepid volcanologists? No thank you!

  • @deanastasya
    @deanastasya Před 4 lety +2879

    UGH I WISH I SAW THIS BEFORE MAKING MY EVIL LAIR! had to settle for a circle of shark infested waters instead
    EDIT- I have made this comment 10 months ago and am still getting replies so I will update you. The sharks are a difficult balance between feeding them too much and starving them, I would be careful managing their bloodthirst without risking their health. As a downside of my inexperience I have been overfeeding them at first and my heroic nemesis made her way into my lair, there was a lot of fighting and monologuing. As an upside we are married now, both evil, and both have learned from the past security issue. With 2 villains in a lair the amount of heroes doubled, so now I don't have to feed the sharks myself much at all

    • @TrippleDogDare
      @TrippleDogDare Před 4 lety +141

      You didn’t even add LAZERS?! smh

    • @timthetincan6782
      @timthetincan6782 Před 4 lety +11

      @JUSTIN SMITH sharks don’t sleep

    • @kennko3
      @kennko3 Před 4 lety +1

      -_-

    • @insertnamehere8099
      @insertnamehere8099 Před 4 lety +100

      From personal experience, I would recommend piranhas. They require less work and are cheaper. Plus, sometimes sharks leave your enemies alone end they can swim to safety. No such issue with piranhas!
      Then again, you could, of course, splice the genes of the sharks and the piranhas to make a new creature but that’s just too expensive and time consuming (rather than visitor consuming)

    • @insane_troll
      @insane_troll Před 4 lety +17

      Is your evil lair called Australia?

  • @grfrjiglstan
    @grfrjiglstan Před 4 lety +5358

    Minute physics and xkcd - a match made in heaven.

    • @AcornFox
      @AcornFox Před 4 lety +76

      MattheJ1 A math made in heaven.

    • @woodfur00
      @woodfur00 Před 4 lety +19

      Stick figures

    • @andrewxia4532
      @andrewxia4532 Před 4 lety +5

      this is what i have been waiting for

    • @grekiki
      @grekiki Před 4 lety +8

      There is another video with the same team. About rockets!

    • @andrewxia4532
      @andrewxia4532 Před 4 lety +7

      @@grekiki WHERE!?!?!

  • @IamClipsus
    @IamClipsus Před 4 lety +1901

    2:20 "Which is clearly absurd."
    Yeah, that is the absurd part, of course.

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety +142

      The absurd part is that he didn't advise on the type of crocodile to inhabit your moat.

    • @EmeralBookwise
      @EmeralBookwise Před 4 lety +169

      @@NJ-wb1cz: Crocodiles, in a lava moat? Now that good fellow is absurd. A proper lava moat requires only the highest quality cybernetic laser sharks!

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp Před 4 lety +30

      solar power is always absurd, except for a Dyson sphere, that's not

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety +31

      ​@@EmeralBookwise good show old boy!
      However, lava is an example of a so called black body and is sadly virtually impenetrable for photons making lasers just glorified heaters for lava, providing no extra layer of protection. Which is the only fatal flaw in your otherwise top notch plan!

    • @gayatrimandhane3087
      @gayatrimandhane3087 Před 4 lety +1

      🤣🤣🤣

  • @keyboardmannow
    @keyboardmannow Před 4 lety +1019

    *forgets to add the bridge*
    “Hey boss uhm I cant come to work today”

    • @thanh6523
      @thanh6523 Před 4 lety +57

      keyboardmannow If you were to have a fucking lava moat you might as well have a private jet

    • @Alucard-gt1zf
      @Alucard-gt1zf Před 4 lety +19

      @Brian Nguyen hes talking about the fact a bridge would defeat the purpose of a moat....

    • @sirgarde9256
      @sirgarde9256 Před 4 lety +26

      A drawbridge?

    • @samuelthecamel
      @samuelthecamel Před 4 lety +20

      @@thanh6523 A jet is okay until it malfunctions and you're stuck within the moat. Or until someone else lands in your airstrip.

    • @minoxiothethird
      @minoxiothethird Před 4 lety +33

      @@samuelthecamel And obviously we wouldn't want invaders landing in our airstrip, so we're going to need a fully functioning AA gun in case aerial intruders attack our home inside of our lava moat.

  • @TheCooldudeG
    @TheCooldudeG Před 4 lety +652

    ☆☆☆☆ I give this Four stars! This guide has helped me solve almost all of my trespasser issues and given the outer walls of my personal fortress a wonderful glow. Keeps out burglars and in-laws! Would have given it 5 stars but the heat from the lava moat boiled away the water for the moat holding the Laser Sharks.

    • @joshyoung1440
      @joshyoung1440 Před rokem +116

      So you gave it 4 stars for your poor planning, and because it did exactly what you wanted it to, which is get hot? Ugh, you are just one of _those_ reviewers.

    • @Marscandy1
      @Marscandy1 Před rokem +44

      My laser shark moat is doing just fine, maybe yours has a design flaw?

    • @proisapro654
      @proisapro654 Před rokem +4

      i rate it 6.9 stars

    • @thepizzaman6310
      @thepizzaman6310 Před rokem +30

      I'm fine, because my newest generation of laser shark is completely fireproof, allowing me to replace the water with lava safely

    • @An_Iron_God69420
      @An_Iron_God69420 Před rokem +6

      awww the frickin laser sharks

  • @kingbranden1369
    @kingbranden1369 Před 4 lety +4813

    Right, of course. I knew I was doing something wrong. Thank you so much for this tutorial it has been extremely helpful.

    • @Apersonl0l
      @Apersonl0l Před 4 lety +105

      KingBranden
      You’re having difficulties too?

    • @chervilious
      @chervilious Před 4 lety +94

      @@Apersonl0l same I use mixture of rocks that's why it didn't glow as much

    • @boxfox4879
      @boxfox4879 Před 4 lety +65

      Ugh yea. Last time the bridge burned for mine. I’m still trying to explain to the government why I need a whole moat

    • @valyrianeagle7001
      @valyrianeagle7001 Před 4 lety +40

      ikr, i accidentally added uranium into the rock mixture, and iradiated my neighborhood

    • @proxy90909
      @proxy90909 Před 4 lety +40

      @@valyrianeagle7001 Know that feel man my uranium ressuply fell into the mote and its now a radiated mess

  • @rc5989
    @rc5989 Před 4 lety +2223

    I’m going to go the 4km solar panel array route. We need to be green with our lava moats.

    • @bdf2718
      @bdf2718 Před 4 lety +217

      Terrible efficiency losses at each stage. Go for Fresnel lenses focusing the sun's rays onto the ground.
      It will work. Nobody likes invading houses in the rain.

    • @Zakara675
      @Zakara675 Před 4 lety +151

      Geothermal and nuclear are both clean energy sources

    • @Vasharan
      @Vasharan Před 4 lety +88

      @@bdf2718 What about a geostationary solar collector that focuses the sun's light onto a circular area around your house. The beam would be 1m wide and precess so that it makes a circuit fast enough to keep the lava from solidifying.
      As a bonus, it can be manually overriden to get rid of pesky solicitors, girl scouts and door to door salesmen.

    • @Colopty
      @Colopty Před 4 lety +40

      If you're going that route you might wish to go for an extra kilometer or two just so you can build up a power reserve for the days without a lot of sun.

    • @mandernachluca3774
      @mandernachluca3774 Před 4 lety +17

      @@Vasharan
      Problem with these things is that you, again, are dependend on outside systems. I mean, it is possible to shoot sattelites with jet fighter air to space missiles down ;D.

  • @sprazz8668
    @sprazz8668 Před 4 lety +677

    "It's tempting to choose a kind of rock that melts at a lower temperature." Well duh, it's not like we're going to choose a high melting point rock for literally no reason other than to flex our economic superiority over our enemies........................................ *OK NEVERMIND I GUESS WE'RE GOING THERE*

    • @mechasheep4861
      @mechasheep4861 Před 4 lety +67

      Yeah Molten Tungsten moat time.

    • @mojn4249
      @mojn4249 Před 3 lety +2

      @@mechasheep4861 XD

    • @TantalumPolytope
      @TantalumPolytope Před rokem +6

      @@mechasheep4861 ya gunna need a tantalum carbide crucible for that

    • @Smitology
      @Smitology Před 4 měsíci +10

      No point in a lava moat if it just looks like a grey sludge around your house, not the bright orange liquid everyone sees and thinks "that's a lava moat"

    • @Ace-nq4cp
      @Ace-nq4cp Před 3 měsíci +11

      "Sir, yes technically the mercury river IS liquid rock, and IS deadly, but I think we should stop ordering our Evil Lair stuff on Ali express.."

  • @fendoroid3788
    @fendoroid3788 Před 4 lety +625

    And then comes the guy with a bucket of water.

    • @danielsmerdel8214
      @danielsmerdel8214 Před 4 lety +48

      By the time anyone got close with water, both the bucket will have melted and the water will have boiled into steam

    • @TheBalefire
      @TheBalefire Před 4 lety +63

      @@danielsmerdel8214 Woosh

    • @danielsmerdel8214
      @danielsmerdel8214 Před 4 lety +76

      @@TheBalefire that's great but don't come crying to me when your skin melted off because you forgot lava radiates a heck ton of heat

    • @KingCreeper-1026
      @KingCreeper-1026 Před 4 lety +43

      Daniel Smerdel Minecraft joke

    • @wolfkey980
      @wolfkey980 Před 4 lety +21

      @@danielsmerdel8214 you did not get the joke

  • @The_Jzoli
    @The_Jzoli Před 4 lety +4668

    Just get some lava with a bucket and pour it in the moat.

  • @Aeihd
    @Aeihd Před 4 lety +1236

    "Which is clearly absurd"
    Yea, that's the absurd part.

    • @galacticbob1
      @galacticbob1 Před 4 lety +41

      Much better to just build your own commercial scale nuclear fission plant, IMHO.

    • @lavaknight3682
      @lavaknight3682 Před 3 lety +10

      @@galacticbob1 but is it “In my humble opinion” or “In my honest opinion”?

    • @galacticbob1
      @galacticbob1 Před 3 lety +22

      @@lavaknight3682 In My Hadronic Opinion, in this case. Nuclear physics, and all that. 😂

  • @solarsatan9000
    @solarsatan9000 Před 4 lety +151

    Oh I need higher quality rock that's where I've been going wrong

    • @copterinx0468
      @copterinx0468 Před 4 lety +5

      Nah just add LEDs. In fact, forget a lava moat; just rig some smoke machines and holoprojectors in a trench along with heat vents a distance away. Same effect, way cheaper and easier.

    • @Hiltok
      @Hiltok Před 4 lety +8

      @@copterinx0468 That's OK as a deterrent but it's not going to do the job of actually melting a horde of invasive zombies, or religious/political door-knockers.

  • @SaHaRaSquad
    @SaHaRaSquad Před 4 lety +394

    Book's subtitle: 'advice for *common* real-world problems'
    Also book: how to build a lava moat.
    Okay then.

    • @TheHutchy01
      @TheHutchy01 Před 4 lety +54

      You mean you don't keep trying to build lava moats?

    • @android19willpwn
      @android19willpwn Před 4 lety +25

      I don't get it, what's your point?

    • @tacocatt6808
      @tacocatt6808 Před 4 lety +29

      Android 19 right? I found this video really helpful, my lava moats kept failing and I kept having to melt more rocks, >:(
      Now, however, I’m a lot more informed! :)

    • @a.person1805
      @a.person1805 Před 4 lety +3

      Well, i build them all the time!
      -In real life!- *In minecraft.*

    • @jaqihegland6232
      @jaqihegland6232 Před 4 lety +7

      It's advice, it's just not particularly useful advice.

  • @thomasr.jackson2940
    @thomasr.jackson2940 Před 4 lety +1064

    I wish someone had made this video when I made my lava moat. It would have been a big help

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety +30

      I accidentally made my lava moan instead of moat.

    • @vitulus_
      @vitulus_ Před 4 lety +4

      now you have a moat of stone

    • @malikfaisal416
      @malikfaisal416 Před 4 lety +8

      Doing this atm, wish me luck guys

    • @loganricherson3749
      @loganricherson3749 Před 4 lety +5

      @@NJ-wb1cz instructions unclear

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety +9

      @@loganricherson3749 i know right. its now super annoying and super sexy and its all around my house

  • @definesigint2823
    @definesigint2823 Před 4 lety +521

    Sigh. I kept wanting to mouse over for the alt text.

    • @tayasergeeva4955
      @tayasergeeva4955 Před 4 lety +23

      When I was reading the book I had the same problem.

  • @lizlee8715
    @lizlee8715 Před 4 lety +130

    Minutephysics: "There aren't that many tutorials on how to build a lava-moat."
    5 minute crafts: *Is that a challenge!?*

    • @hendrikpat
      @hendrikpat Před 4 lety +13

      "Step one: Melt rocks."
      "Step two: Lick them to speed up the progress."

    • @lucifersdevilishdetails.
      @lucifersdevilishdetails. Před 4 lety +6

      Get hot glue dye red go around your house there

    • @blindsloth364
      @blindsloth364 Před 3 lety

      troom troom is going to do this soon, get ready for glitter lava moat

  • @GameCyborgCh
    @GameCyborgCh Před 4 lety +318

    0:53 minecraft players: "years of academic training wasted"

  • @itsadisood
    @itsadisood Před 4 lety +848

    Instructions unclear. My lava is emitting 3.6 Roentgen. Not good, not bad.

    • @EDEDED_
      @EDEDED_ Před 4 lety +136

      Instructions *nuclear.

    • @BlackCrafte
      @BlackCrafte Před 4 lety +59

      3.6 roentgen from lava moat ? This man is delusionnal, take hime to the infirmary !

    • @Carmenifold
      @Carmenifold Před 4 lety +43

      you didn't see graphite in the moat.
      you *DIDN'T!!!*

    • @CarbonDoggie
      @CarbonDoggie Před 4 lety +26

      It's all fun and games until
      ionizing gamma radiation

    • @nathanaelvetters2684
      @nathanaelvetters2684 Před 4 lety +26

      In order to produce ionizing radiation just from blackbody radiation, your lava will have to be at least ~300,000 Kelvin. It's emitting at least 460 terawatts of power per square meter.
      Color me impressed.

  • @chingamfong
    @chingamfong Před 4 lety +434

    Me: I have a homework due tonight and I barely started on it.
    CZcams: *Do you want to know how to build a lava moat?*
    Also me: Good question

  • @renardleblanc5556
    @renardleblanc5556 Před 4 lety +26

    I kid you not, the day this video came out, my parents were installing geothermal heating in their house. Maaaybe I should ask if they have any plans for home security. Just to be prudent. X3

  • @justas423
    @justas423 Před 4 lety +113

    When you REALLY don't like your neighbors.

  • @mahrze
    @mahrze Před 4 lety +228

    Marvel: 'Infinity War' Is The Most Ambitious Crossover Event In History.
    MinutePhysics and xkcd: Hold our doodles and comics

  • @GS-wz9np
    @GS-wz9np Před 4 lety +517

    I didn't really search for this, but nice to know...

  • @Kraigon42
    @Kraigon42 Před 4 lety +3

    It may just be the Texan in me, but I heard "a solar array 8km across" and thought, "yeah, that sounds pretty good, let's go with that option."

  • @diegovasquezcaballero
    @diegovasquezcaballero Před 4 lety +14

    The best part of the joke is how they arbitrarily insert some "that would be absurd" lines from time to time. xD

    • @georgehiggins1320
      @georgehiggins1320 Před 3 lety

      Hey Diego, I don't know you at all, but I hope you know that there's something about you that you're the best at, and that you add so much value to the world!

  • @hugoiwata
    @hugoiwata Před 4 lety +226

    1:42 I like how you used the word "football" in a manner that no one gets bothered.

    • @Lemilie
      @Lemilie Před 4 lety +12

      I wonder how that sport would function

    • @Jake28
      @Jake28 Před 4 lety +11

      @@Lemilie You clearly THROW an oval shaped ball!

    • @348joey
      @348joey Před 4 lety +2

      @@Jake28 ? That'd still be American football. You mean "THROW a round ball" or "KICK an oval ball"?

    • @lcmiracle
      @lcmiracle Před 4 lety

      @@Jake28 You need to specify it more with "by hand".

    • @Crispman_777
      @Crispman_777 Před 4 lety +2

      @@Jake28 But that's just Rugby...

  • @sodaPapa7176
    @sodaPapa7176 Před 4 lety +196

    I'm such a fool, spending my money on an "alarm system" clearly a lava moat is the way to go

    • @TheDeadMeme27
      @TheDeadMeme27 Před 4 lety +8

      just use [/gamemode creative] and fill the moat with a bucket of lava

    • @alexwang982
      @alexwang982 Před 4 lety +3

      But if it rains

    • @RileyIsntDead
      @RileyIsntDead Před 4 lety +4

      @@alexwang982 The rain would boil off immediately. Unless a portal appears at the bottom of the ocean (hehe) and exits directly over your moat, water isn't going to be an issue.

    • @mrbuttocks6772
      @mrbuttocks6772 Před 4 lety +3

      Laminated windows, it stops burglars. Only idiots go through doors, it takes time to pick a lock and breaking one down makes ALOT of noise.

    • @alexwang982
      @alexwang982 Před 4 lety +4

      Duncan Price Yes but how are you gonna get past L A V A

  • @fatzpepper195
    @fatzpepper195 Před 4 lety +12

    Not going to lie. I searched for How to make a lava moat in Minecraft. Seen this video. Not disappointed.

  • @someguy5944
    @someguy5944 Před 4 lety +16

    Me: * tries this *
    MY wife and electric bills: *_Gonna give you up_*

  • @mebamme
    @mebamme Před 4 lety +390

    2:20 "which is clearly absurd".
    🤔

    • @Anvilshock
      @Anvilshock Před 4 lety +27

      O ye of little ambition.

    • @davidshi451
      @davidshi451 Před 4 lety +27

      Even though he's building a lava moat, we still have to be reasonable!

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 Před 4 lety +16

      @@davidshi451 I mean, you have to draw the line _somewhere_

    • @Anistuffs
      @Anistuffs Před 4 lety +7

      I completely fail to understand why a lava moat of 8km diameter would be absurd. It's completely feasible and in fact, I'll prove it by making one. Just let me become filthy rich first and send the first outer solar system colonists out and I'll get to it, promise :)

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp Před 4 lety +2

      @@Anistuffs it's absurd because you need batteries to power your lava at night

  • @ltjgambrose
    @ltjgambrose Před 4 lety +444

    "The moat needs to surround an array of solar panels 8 km across. Which is clearly absurd."
    Absolutely! That's a step too far.

    • @kewakl8891
      @kewakl8891 Před 4 lety +11

      probably only if the solar panels are lying flat.
      If they were tracking the sun and had MPPT ......
      Mirror array using lava instead of salt

    • @JannPoo
      @JannPoo Před 4 lety +42

      Meanwhile having your personal nuclear plant is totally reasonable.

    • @anneaunyme
      @anneaunyme Před 4 lety +4

      @@kewakl8891 making the solar panels track the sun don't make you win on space, it makes you win on the quantity of panels. (basically the energy you can get with a solar panel is proportional to the amount of shadow created if the land was flat, the only way you can "cheat" with that is by making some kind of wall of solar panels whose shadow would spread outside of your protected land)

    • @kewakl8891
      @kewakl8891 Před 4 lety +5

      @@anneaunyme an angle of less that 90 will cause a loss of some of the energy. But if you could power a lava moat, I think that you would also be able to cheat.

    • @anneaunyme
      @anneaunyme Před 4 lety +5

      @@kewakl8891 That's true if you keep the same solar panel surface. That's not true if you just blindly cover all your surface with panels because you don't care about their cost (you probably are in that situation if you seriously consider installing this moat). Just do the math if you don't believe me (it is actually pretty easy to get it with a drawing but those are hard to do in youtube comments)

  • @JoeManneke
    @JoeManneke Před 4 lety +149

    minecraft players: hey look at my lava moat
    minutephysics: you can do it in the real world
    the media: this is why games are bad for you

    • @ButWhyMe...
      @ButWhyMe... Před 2 lety +1

      karens: ban video games, books, and minutephysics, then legalize mandatory spyware

    • @Mister_Sun.
      @Mister_Sun. Před rokem

      fact

  • @Bellonging
    @Bellonging Před 4 lety +52

    "Electricity costs around $0.10 per kWh"
    *Cries in Australian*

    • @ShroudedWolf51
      @ShroudedWolf51 Před 4 lety +1

      Isn't that just English?

    • @alexh2717
      @alexh2717 Před 4 lety +5

      ikr, in germany the average price is like 30-35 cents per kWh...

    • @lordbanetheplayer8844
      @lordbanetheplayer8844 Před 4 lety +2

      You could only use one Solar Panel in Australia. That would work fine.

    • @MrSupdup
      @MrSupdup Před 3 lety +4

      I dunno man, I live in Brisbane and my power is ~$0.1639 per kWh. In USD that's $0.1261 (not adjusted for purchasing power), so only 2c more per kWh. Australian's get paid more than Americans, so I imagine adjusted for purchasing power 16c for us is about 10c for an American.

    • @robinvanderpal372
      @robinvanderpal372 Před 4 měsíci +1

      I was looking for a comment like this haha

  • @OtiumAbscondita
    @OtiumAbscondita Před 4 lety +173

    I like how in the intro they used the logic symbol "and".

    • @rgbii2
      @rgbii2 Před 4 lety +4

      In C/C++, that's the exclusive OR symbol.

    • @wojtekburzynski654
      @wojtekburzynski654 Před 4 lety +13

      @@rgbii2 Yes, but in maths its logical conjunction.

    • @OtiumAbscondita
      @OtiumAbscondita Před 4 lety +4

      @@rgbii2 yes, but I talking about maths and logic.

    • @OtiumAbscondita
      @OtiumAbscondita Před 4 lety +7

      @@lanye2708 nobody is talking about programming, why do you bring it up? We are talking about mathematics.

    • @kiyoponnn
      @kiyoponnn Před 4 lety +3

      @@OtiumAbscondita ^ Doesn't this symbol show that a term/function is being raised to a power/exponent?

  • @awesokestephen3494
    @awesokestephen3494 Před 4 lety +182

    I saw “with xkcd” and I was like “alright how ridiculous is this going to be”

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Před 4 lety +2

      I hope the next one is on how to build a machine gun jetpack. That one is pretty neat.

    • @ThePCguy17
      @ThePCguy17 Před 4 lety

      you didn't realize once you got past "how to build a lava moat?"

    • @ruler_of_everything
      @ruler_of_everything Před 2 lety

      @@ThePCguy17 wym? lava moats are a very serious thing for homeowners to have.

    • @ThePCguy17
      @ThePCguy17 Před 2 lety

      @@ruler_of_everything But of course, how could I forget?

  • @servantking1519
    @servantking1519 Před 4 lety +40

    Nice job! I was already a fan of both minutephysics and xkcd separately, but wow, that was good!

  • @WesllyOni
    @WesllyOni Před 3 lety +10

    I can't put into words how amazing this is, or the fact that such a book exists. I'm getting a copy right away.

  • @jaridkeen123
    @jaridkeen123 Před 4 lety +236

    I love how they took this so serious like its a every day thing. No big deal!

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG Před 4 lety +11

      It's very very xkcd!

    • @isaacz.8349
      @isaacz.8349 Před 4 lety +4

      Jarid Gaming you’re acting like you don’t have a lava moat... I thought everyone had one!

    • @obnoxiouspedant
      @obnoxiouspedant Před 5 měsíci

      Wow that's like, the premise of the video, bro

  • @saltier1976
    @saltier1976 Před 4 lety +146

    Finally, i can protect my Minecraft house, Thanks minutephysics!

    • @jettaeschroff6924
      @jettaeschroff6924 Před 4 lety +16

      *proceeds to burn house down*

    • @loganricherson3749
      @loganricherson3749 Před 4 lety +5

      @@jettaeschroff6924 just like in minecraft

    • @mwperk02
      @mwperk02 Před 4 lety +2

      @@jettaeschroff6924 I built my house out of cobblestone. Try burning that I dare you.

  • @singerofsongs468
    @singerofsongs468 Před 4 lety +1

    This. THIS is why I’m majoring in chemical engineering. This is why I’m struggling through thermodynamics rn. Thank you for giving my college journey a greater sense of purpose.

  • @csheadtrip
    @csheadtrip Před 4 lety +3

    This is my favorite collab of 2019. MOAR!

  • @iennternet
    @iennternet Před 4 lety +113

    I work hard in school so that one day I can afford my own lava moat.

  • @AlexVSharp
    @AlexVSharp Před 4 lety +45

    The most informative video nobody ever needed. Thanks!

  • @ludvig9184
    @ludvig9184 Před 4 lety +3

    Thank you! Finally a proper serious how to guide on youtube that people might get some actual practical use for.

  • @zachdurocher1166
    @zachdurocher1166 Před 4 lety +31

    "Reasonable-sized lava moat"

  • @bat-7076
    @bat-7076 Před 4 lety +978

    Guys, just grab a bucket of lava.

    • @postlim
      @postlim Před 4 lety +14

      jes just an iron one

    • @ordinaryshiba
      @ordinaryshiba Před 4 lety +8

      because minecraft logic

    • @KainYusanagi
      @KainYusanagi Před 4 lety +3

      @@ordinaryshiba Real-life logic, as lava's temperature is lower than iron's melting point. It'll heat up a lot, sure, but it'll also radiate that heat away a lot faster than the molten stone will give it to the metal.

    • @ordinaryshiba
      @ordinaryshiba Před 4 lety

      @@KainYusanagi aka you get balsted by heat because it's radiating heat so quick, that's why you don't stand next to lava

    • @KainYusanagi
      @KainYusanagi Před 4 lety +5

      @@ordinaryshiba Actually no, you can stand right next to lava just fine; even walk over it with minimal damage if you're quick enough at the point of contact, thanks to the leidenfrost effect (too slow and you'll sink in and be in for a seriously bad time, so, don't do it). In Hawaii, I think it was I saw video of, there have been people who have taken lawn chairs and sat them beside a lava flow and roasted weenies over the lava on long metal rods. It IS really quite hot still, obviously, but air is a terrible conductor of heat. Iron is a pretty poor conductor of heat, as well, taking it on slowly and dispersing it very quickly. If you've ever seen a blacksmith working on an iron ingot, you'd see just how quickly it cools down, and how even while eye-searing red hot, you can still be right beside it and not burn up. And the layer of lava right against the bucket walls would cool down rapidly and form an insulating layer between the molten core and the rest of the bucket, reducing the thermal energy conducted to the bucket further.

  • @adityaphatak8590
    @adityaphatak8590 Před 4 lety +35

    We can also make fresnel lens circle above the moat to at least keep it hot at day hence reducing power demand.

    • @dannymac6368
      @dannymac6368 Před 2 lety +2

      Thank you! I was looking for this in the comments but it was buried. Just set the lens up pointing towards a huge cliff, let new lava continuously flow in. Bonus: you can now terraform!

  • @nickscurvy8635
    @nickscurvy8635 Před 4 lety +1

    you're amazing, xkcd is amazing, and it makes my heart happy every time I see yall collaborate

  • @_cider_8837
    @_cider_8837 Před 4 lety +18

    "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today..."

    • @mrsnake9642
      @mrsnake9642 Před 3 lety +2

      it's a bit weak for a phineas and ferb episode

    • @_cider_8837
      @_cider_8837 Před 3 lety +1

      @@mrsnake9642 Yeah..

  • @minimumviableplayer1402
    @minimumviableplayer1402 Před 4 lety +5

    Randall should make a how-to guide for villains. Next chapter: how to mount a laser on a shark.

  • @jpe1
    @jpe1 Před 4 lety +7

    The final suggestion of using geothermal won’t be easy. The challenge with using geothermal to melt rocks is finding a suitable liquid to transport the needed energy. You would need something that would phase transition at over 1200°C at some reasonable pressure, and then you would need some even higher melting point material from which to fabricate the piping and heat exchangers needed. Copper pipes aren’t going to cut it!

    • @MinutePhysics
      @MinutePhysics  Před 4 lety +6

      The final solution is to use geothermal to generate electricity in the normal way, then heat the lava with the electric heating coils as normal :)

  • @touchofthorn1841
    @touchofthorn1841 Před 4 lety +36

    I thought this was a Minecraft tutorial video for a good 2 seconds

  • @jugzster
    @jugzster Před 4 lety +4

    How To is a hilarious and surprisingly educational book. Highly recommended. More videos like this please!

  • @AreCeeEffEx
    @AreCeeEffEx Před 4 lety +22

    I didn't realize I wanted this video but I got it and I'm grateful.

  • @carsonlight_lapse6394
    @carsonlight_lapse6394 Před 4 lety +991

    Probably there will be a sea of Minecraft comment down there

    • @DJAvren
      @DJAvren Před 4 lety +58

      But then that sea can be used in combination with the lava to make obsidian, so it's not too bad

    • @Norcon72
      @Norcon72 Před 4 lety +1

      *is

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety +1

      @@DJAvren obsidian is brittle weak crap so yeah, that's pretty bad

    • @nathanlevesque7812
      @nathanlevesque7812 Před 4 lety

      @@NJ-wb1cz brittle but insanely sharp.

    • @NJ-wb1cz
      @NJ-wb1cz Před 4 lety

      @@nathanlevesque7812 sharpness is a function of manufacturing process, not some raw material simply appearing out of nowhere being insanely sharp

  • @narutolikestoes9028
    @narutolikestoes9028 Před 3 lety +1

    Thank you sooo much, I've been looking for this for soooo long thx

  • @skorpius2029
    @skorpius2029 Před 4 lety +15

    Apocalypse survivor builds lava moat around his base and whole power plant just to run it.
    Man with a bucket of water: "i'm about to end this moat's career"

  • @bexowr
    @bexowr Před 4 lety +79

    I'm a simple man; I see xkcd, I click

  • @amoghlal
    @amoghlal Před 4 lety +17

    Thanks for the video!
    The inability to build a lava moat had been bugging me for quite a while!

  • @pajamesie
    @pajamesie Před 4 lety

    FINALLY! A TUTORIAL! I’ve been searching for hours!

  • @msmoobutgamer5527
    @msmoobutgamer5527 Před 4 lety +1

    thank you so much, i was looking everywhere for this

  • @ejhickey
    @ejhickey Před 4 lety +7

    I love DIY videos like this that focus on practical solutions to problems that everyone has pondered from time to time . I mean a Lava Moat is the perfect solution for those who want to keep their home secure but don't like guns or the expense and trouble of security systems . /s

  • @justgame5508
    @justgame5508 Před 4 lety +5

    Randall Munroe brought out a new book!?! I know what I’m doing for the rest of the day. Absolutely loved his What if? and article

  • @Keeganator42
    @Keeganator42 Před 28 dny +1

    Thank you! My neighbors are so pesky and I was looking for this exactly.

  • @arjovenzia
    @arjovenzia Před 6 měsíci

    +1 can recommend. Both the book and instructions within. Has vastly improved my life.

  • @IceMetalPunk
    @IceMetalPunk Před 4 lety +9

    If Randall is okay with it, I would LOVE to see more of these How To Minute Physics videos. It's not that I can't read the book, it's just that I like your voice saying these things :D

  • @joythegeek4571
    @joythegeek4571 Před 4 lety +3

    I'm so glad quality content like this exists.
    Thanks so much for the advice this video cleared up so much

  • @jasons7222
    @jasons7222 Před 4 lety

    I love how serious this guy is, this is a very real option for him

  • @wipeoutmax
    @wipeoutmax Před 6 měsíci

    After 4 years, this video reappeared again in my feed.
    Watched it again, still 2 thumbs up ^^

  • @Yalikejazzboi
    @Yalikejazzboi Před 4 lety +34

    Only 8km across to be powered by on site solar? I'm building one now.

  • @Master_Therion
    @Master_Therion Před 4 lety +375

    While interesting, I didn't find this video re-moat-ly useful.

    • @dandanthedandan7558
      @dandanthedandan7558 Před 4 lety +24

      Take your like and leave

    • @xelyd7989
      @xelyd7989 Před 4 lety +16

      This joke made me *melt* with laughter.......
      I know its a bad joke.. I'll take my leave now

    • @ten.seconds
      @ten.seconds Před 4 lety +14

      People like you are why we need lava moats.

    • @CrazyNerdMonkey
      @CrazyNerdMonkey Před 4 lety +19

      I found it very moativating.

    • @DickHolman
      @DickHolman Před 4 lety +3

      Thanks, we'll let you know.
      Next!

  • @mordiemannogenost69
    @mordiemannogenost69 Před rokem

    Much appriciated! Really needed this right now.

  • @macsnafu
    @macsnafu Před 4 lety +1

    XKCD. Answering questions nobody asked for years!

  • @aaronspacee
    @aaronspacee Před 4 lety +6

    finally, really needed a tutorial for this for *reasons*

  • @DarkThomy
    @DarkThomy Před 4 lety +6

    Once again something I didn't know I needed to learn..!
    ...but how many zombies could it repel ?

    • @antivirusexe2856
      @antivirusexe2856 Před 4 lety

      All of them?

    • @DarkThomy
      @DarkThomy Před 4 lety

      @@antivirusexe2856 Yeah I somehow thought the lava would.. fill itself over time.

  • @a.muhyee4156
    @a.muhyee4156 Před 4 lety

    been looking for a tutorial forever thanks it helped so much

  • @cipherxen2
    @cipherxen2 Před 4 lety

    You are a life saver man. This is the one video I was looking for.

  • @johnyliltoe
    @johnyliltoe Před 4 lety +7

    It took me a moment for me to process what I was reading. xkcd? YES!

  • @kangalio
    @kangalio Před 4 lety +3

    This is a really great ad! Fun to watch, subtle, precisely describes what the book is about, and it also interests me! Honestly great job 👌

  • @rollingdeep4723
    @rollingdeep4723 Před 3 lety

    Bless you for advertising such an entretaining, uneducational (most stuff ends in explosions or close to death situations) and fun read :).

  • @EmperorNefarious1
    @EmperorNefarious1 Před 4 lety

    I wish I had found this earlier, in times like these, this is exactly what I need

  • @link2498
    @link2498 Před 4 lety +6

    This is low-key an advertisement for why we should use geo-thermal as a source of energy. Love it.

  • @teeblackgold97
    @teeblackgold97 Před 4 lety +54

    Nobody:
    Minutephysics: How to Build a Lava Moat (with xkcd).

    • @DerangedScout
      @DerangedScout Před 4 lety +8

      Hurr-durr NoBoDy

    • @JamesTheFoxeArt
      @JamesTheFoxeArt Před 4 lety +5

      Minecrafters:Am I a joke to you

    • @AmeshaSpentaArmaiti
      @AmeshaSpentaArmaiti Před 4 lety +4

      I saw someon point out that "Nobody saying nothing means everbody is saying something," and now the meme is ruined for me.

    • @hugebuffman3619
      @hugebuffman3619 Před 4 lety +2

      @@AmeshaSpentaArmaiti Everybody:
      Minutephysics: How to Build a Lava Moat (with xkcd).

  • @Blubb5000
    @Blubb5000 Před 3 lety

    *FINALLY* some practical advice for my every day life. Thanks!!!

  • @Depleted-Uranium
    @Depleted-Uranium Před 4 lety +4

    Minutephysics:*plays minecraft once*
    Minutephysics: oh yeah, it’s big brain time

  • @RoboBoddicker
    @RoboBoddicker Před 4 lety +6

    I misheard, and ended up with a guava moat.
    But it's much more delicious this way.

    • @darthvader2994
      @darthvader2994 Před 4 lety

      No dude that's guaNO (bat poo) don't be eating that!
      (I had to Google "bat poo" to remember the word)

  • @Reesie
    @Reesie Před 4 lety +66

    Literally Nobody:
    minutephysics: Betcha been wondering how to make a lava moat

    • @a.person1805
      @a.person1805 Před 4 lety

      XKCD: Nah i already taught them.

    • @JustPhm_
      @JustPhm_ Před 4 lety

      How to: I made it popular

    • @a.person1805
      @a.person1805 Před 4 lety

      @@JustPhm_ What if: I slightly inspired you.

    • @JustPhm_
      @JustPhm_ Před 4 lety

      @@a.person1805 How to: Oh.

  • @inkymoth
    @inkymoth Před 4 lety

    Informations very clear
    Got my lava moat working perfectly
    Thank you

  • @OrionBlitz256
    @OrionBlitz256 Před 4 lety

    Thanks. I'll get started in the morning.

  • @davefoc
    @davefoc Před 4 lety +7

    I can see some problems with the city over your lava moat. It might be a good idea to pull permits before you start work. It would be really annoying to be almost finished with your lava moat and have the city shut you down because you don't have a permit. You will probably need to be ready for some fights with the planning department. They may not be as enthused about a lava moat in their city as you are.

  • @sharon-gm3ih
    @sharon-gm3ih Před 4 lety +105

    Earth: **creates extreme heat at its core**
    Humans: tHaT i CaN uSe FoR a LaVa MoAt

    • @cameronneveu7277
      @cameronneveu7277 Před 4 lety +20

      what if the center of the earth created a lava moat to keep us out of it?

    • @sharon-gm3ih
      @sharon-gm3ih Před 4 lety +3

      @@cameronneveu7277 🤔🤔🤔🤔

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Před 4 lety

      Yeah, just dig a deep hole and you get your lava.

    • @oldsarj
      @oldsarj Před 4 lety

      @@HappyBeezerStudios A REALLY deep hole.

  • @M3h3ndr3
    @M3h3ndr3 Před 3 lety +1

    Best tutorial ive found on the internet yet :D

  • @GlaDOS.CAROLCORE
    @GlaDOS.CAROLCORE Před měsícem

    10/10 This guide was just what I was looking for. You must make more of these guides.
    Or maybe you could help me with a few tests yourself, either is fine with me.
    So pick one.

  • @fantkng4847
    @fantkng4847 Před 4 lety +4

    Thank you for addressing the real problems of life :D :D

  • @Chatian
    @Chatian Před 4 lety +58

    come on, i wanted to hear randall's nice voice

  • @armedwithwings6668
    @armedwithwings6668 Před rokem +1

    Ah, right, we need to get that energy from the inside of the EARTH! I accidently built a dyson sphere around the sun, which was quite annoying to take down. Thanks for the tutorial!

  • @KadenCollett
    @KadenCollett Před 6 měsíci

    thanks, just what I was looking for!